Prevalence of dental plaque and DMFT index in patients suffering from peripheral facial paralysis

Paralysis is defined as the complete loss of mobility and inability to perform movement in a specific area of body. In facial paralysis, muscles exhibit lost of mobility or muscular hypotonia, which may be accompanied by decreased salivar flow and impairment of the perioral jugal muscles. The objective of this study was to diagnose oral health status of patients using Decayed, Missing and filled teeth index, and to evaluate whether there is an association between the side of facial paralysis and a higher rate of plaque dental. We compared the paralysis side with the healthy side. Patients from the Facial Nerve Sector of the Otology and Otoneurology Disciplines at the Federal University of São Paulo were screened. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 15 patients were analyzed. Dental plaque was evaluated using the O’Leary index, and overall oral health was assessed via the DMFT index. The majority of the sample was female (53.3 %), with a traumatic etiology (60.0 %), right-sided facial paralysis (53.3 %), and grade V severity (53.3 %). The mean age was 37 years. The average O'Leary index score was 16.1 %, ranging from 0 % (lowest) to 28.6 % (highest). When analyzing the sides separately, the right side showed a slightly higher average plaque accumulation (16.8 %) compared to the left side (15.2 %). The mean DMFT index value was 13.6. The correlation between the side with greater plaque accumulation and the side of facial paralysis resulted in a poor Kappa concordance coefficient of 0.071. The association test between the side with a higher O'Leary index and the side of facial paralysis was not statistically significant ( p > 0.999), indicating that these two variables are not associated.In conclusion, dental plaque accumulation is independent of the side of facial paralysis presented by the patient.